I saw The Three Burials of Melquíades Estrada earlier this week, and liked it. I did not think I had a great deal to say about it beyond what has already been said in the voluminous press it has generated. I could have said something about this voluminous press, yes. I could have said that … More Three Burials

Now I have been asked to post eight images which amaze me. Every image I have amazes me, so I have chosen these practically at random. Cathedral of Zacatecas, Mexico. . Calendar round from the Techialoyan Codex. Poster for the ultimate war movie. Swamp in Louisiana. Li River, Quilin, China. Bitter Melon. Lining up for … More Eight Amazing Images

This is my true picture. I am a detail from the Casa de la Muerte in Copán, which has its own writing system as well. Axé.

Edward P. Jones’ story Bad Neighbors, on the intertwined questions of class, identity, and values in a Washington, D.C. neighborhood, is riveting. I have dirty rice from the store on the corner, and the fall afternoon is beautiful. The radio is singing, “It takes a worried man, to sing a worried song / I’m worried … More Class and Classiness

Here is a beautiful painting, Mulatos de Esmeraldas, made in 1599 by Adrián Sánchez Galque, an ‘Indian’ painter of the Quito school. Right now you can see it in person at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Karen Wilkin reviewed the show for the Wall Street Journal. Esmeraldas, on the north coast of Ecuador, is still … More Mulatos de Esmeraldas

I saw Tsotsi this evening, a much awarded film set in a Johannesburg township and based on a novel by Athol Fugard. I notice that films which receive this many awards, tend to be sentimental. They are often some sort of redemption narrative. This is especially true when they are foreign. It is as though … More Township Rock

Now it is time to vote–on the look of this site. I liked the template I was using except for one thing: the color of the background, which on some systems looked like a nice cream, and on others, a hospital green. One of my options is to return to that template, and tinker with … More A Design Question

I am experimenting with images to crown this page. It is more difficult than I would have thought, to find one that works well. The current header image is detail from the photograph of a Mardi Gras Indian. I took her picture several years ago, at the corner of Orleans Avenue and Broad Street, in … More A Picture

Bem-vindos ao meu sítio novo, no qual estou trabalhando ainda. Tem sugestões para o seu desenho? Quero ouví-los. Não festejei o dia 7 de setembro, nem estou festejando o grito de Dolores hoje. Nem vou explicar nada: pouco a pouco, irei-me revelando, e pouco a pouco vai ficar entendendo quem quiser. Eu antes tinha outro … More Bom Dia